Industrial truck



Aug. 18, 1931. w, S HROEDER 1,819,625

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Filed Oct. 19; 1928 ii mi e/7702' W////a/27 Jc/Weae/ Patented Aug. 18, 1931 ED STATES PATENT oFF c WILLIAM scnEoEnEE, or ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, assrenoa To \VESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, or NEW YORK; n. Y; A eonronnrron or NEW YORK,

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Application filed October 19, 1928. Serial No. 313,434.

' An object of this invention is to provide an industrial truck capable of expeditiously loading, transporting and unloading-cylindrical objects. v

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the object to be transported by the electrically operated truck which in the specific form of the invention is arranged with apertures, is rolled onto a spring supported, tiltalole, inclined platformthrough the actuation of draw chains having at their free ends short center plugs which engage the apertures in the object. When the object has been rolled a predetermined distance, mechanism is operated for disconnecting the power from the draw chains and automatically limiting the movement of the object. a

ther features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which i Fig. 1 is a plan view partly in section of an electrical truck designed to transport cable reels;

' Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cable reel having a short center plug insorted therein, and

Fig; 4: is a sectional view taken on the-line 4- 1 of Fig. 3 looking in-the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like I reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, the numeral 11 designates generally an electrical industrial itruck having the usual steering lever 12, a drive controlling lever 13, abrake controlling treadle 15 and a housing 16 under which is mounted a driving motor and its cooperating gearing and electrical storage batteries for supplying energyto the'motor. For the sake of clearness and since they do not form a part -of the presentinvention, the details of tlie aforementioned parts have not been shown.

The batteries and motor with itscooperating parts'mounted under the housing 16 furnish power to drive wheels 17 and may be controlled through the lever 18 by an operator standing on a'platform 19 suspended from the housing 16 by avertically disposed member 20. A U-shaped member 21 is attached to the other end of the housing 16 and has a shaft 2 L j ournalled in the lower ends of the arms onwhich a pair of drums 2323 are mounted. An irregularly shaped and horizontally disposed supporting member 25 is attached tothe lower end of the U-shaped member 21 and extends longitudinally of the truckll.

An equalizing axle 27 is j ournalled in bearings.2828 formed in the right end (Fig. 1 of the member 25 and has a pair of V- shaped members 29 mounted thereon. The ends of the V-sliaped members 29, away from the apex thereof, have a pair of axles3131 mountedtherein to-the ends of which are pivotally mounted in any well known manner .four' trailer wheels 32 321 A platform 35 is fulcrumed about the'equalizingaxles 27 at the endsthereof by means of depending portions 36 36 formed integral with the platform 35. The platform'35 has flanges 87-457 formed on the sides thereof to assist in maintaining a telephone cable reel designated generally by the numeral 38in position thereon and is at its-left hand end (Figs. 1 and 2) normally, resiliently supported by means of a pair of coiled; springs 39- 39 interposed between thelower surface of the platform 35 andthe irregular shaped member25.

An'electric motor 10 is connected by means of a train of gears'designated by the numeral 411:0 the shaft 24 upon which the drums 23-23 are mounted and actuates a pairof chains 43-43, each-of which has an end thereof secured to one of the drums2323. The chains 4343 which are designed-to be wound around the drums 23'23-pass over sheaves 444L pivoted about pins 45 -45 9 whose'ends are secured in bushings 474c7 fixed to the upper end ofthe member 21. 4

jarmsof the U-shaped'member 21 and is pivoted to said arms as shown at49. A spring A bumper apron 48 extends between the i 51 interposed between the apron 48 and the base of the U-shaped member 21 normally urges the apron 48 to the right as shown in Fig. 2. A switch 52 controlled by a V-shaped lever 53 is mounted at the rear of the U- shaped member 21 and controls the supply of current from the storage batteries to the motor 40. One arm of the V-shaped member 53 is connected by means of a link 55 to a hand lever 56 mounted on the vertically disposed member 20. The other arm of the V- shaped lever 53 has a link 57 attachedthereto, the other end of which is pivoted at 58 to the apron 48.

Secured to the end of the chain 43 are a pair of links'59 (as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4) which are in turn secured to a member 60 having jiour-nalled in a circular portion 61 thereof a short center plug 70. The plug 70: is held in place in the circular portion 61 of member 60 by means of annuliar. shoulders 63 and 64 formed thereon, and is free to rotate within said circular portion 6L The other end of the plug also has an annular protuberance 65 formed thereon of substantially the same size as an aperture 67 formed in heads 68-68: of the telephone cable reel It is believed that a clearer undrstanding of thefmeclaanism to which this application is drawn will be had by reference to. a descri'pti-on of the operation thereof. In loading a telephone cable reel 88' onto theiplatform 3651 of a. truck 11, the truck is maneuvered into a position substantially in align ment with the heads'68 of theeable reel 38. The center plugs 7 0 are then inserted in the apertures 67 in-the heads 68. and the upper end of the lever: 5.6;- is moved to the left to the position shown in: dotted lines at 71 (Fig; 2);, to close anelectric'all circuit to; furnish energy to the motor 40.

The moto-r 4i0 throughgear's '41 will drive the shaft 24 and drums: 23in a coim-ter-elockwi's'e direct-ion, thus win'cling'cha-in 43 there onand drawingvreel new the left; As soon as the edges of the reel head 68*strik'e'the platform 35, the platform 35 will he rocked abontthe equalizing'axle 27 a clockwise direction-until the edge- 71 of the platform 35 strikes the floor, thus taking a "great emnant of strainoft'of the trailer wheels 32 a counter-clockwise directionandinto. on-

gagement with the springs 39,- thus lifting '"theright endxof the platform 35 off the floor and resilientlysupporting the-leftend' thereof; during the transportation of the reel 38.

-The recite: will 'continue-to be moved towthe leftguntil the "edges of the head'68 thereof encounter the apron 48 and the apron 48 will then be moved to the left carrying with it the links 55 and 57 moving the levers 53 and 56 to the position shown in the full lines thus opening the circuit to the motor 40 and stopping the movement of the drums 28. The reel 38 is then transported to the desired location when the lever 56 may be moved from position shown in solid lines to the position indicated at 72, closing a circuit (not shown) controlled by the switch 52 to drive the drums in a clockwise direction to permit the real 38 to roll oif the platform 35 to the floor. 7

In order to accommodate reels of various widths the sheaves 4444 over which the chains 43%3. pass are pivoted about the pin 45. so as to allow the chain to pass angularly to the center: of any reel whose width does not exceed the distance between the inside edgesofthefl-anges 3 7. Thus, telephone cable reels of any width up to a certain maximum may be expeditiously loaded, transported and unloaded by means of an industrial truck having the features as described and shown hereinbefore. c

What is claimed is:

I. In an industrial truck, a platform for snpporting-an object, means for engaging the ob iect to advance'it onto the platform, drivingrnieans for actuating said engaging means, and a tilta'ble apron on the platform operable by the object when the object has reached a predetermined position to: render said dri-v-- ing means inoperative.

2. In an industrial truck, a, trailer assembly, a platform pivotally supported centrally of: the trailer assembly for supporting an object, means for engaging and moving the obieet along a platform, and means operated by the object for rendering themoving means inoperative.

3;. Inan industrial truck, a, platform, means for drawing a reel having apertures in the;- heads thereof; onto the platform comros prising a short center plug having an annularprotuberancefor insertion into the apertures in the reel head, a rotatable drum, driving means-therefor, a cable having one endEatt-aclied 'to: said drum, and a swivel connection between chain; 4; Ina-truck for handling reels, a platform to support a reel, a pivot, for the reel, means for-engaging the pivot to roll the reel upon .115 the center: plug and the the; platform, means to: drive the engaging means, and means interposed in the path of the reel for coaetion therewithto inhibit the operation of the driving means.

5.- In an industrial'truck, a platform for supporting an objectand tiltable to any of a plurality of positions as determined by the piosi tionfthereon of the; object, mean-s operative when the object isiin a predetermined position fordrawingthe object on the platform,

and means operated by the object when the object is in another position for rendering the drawing means inoperative.

6. In an industrial truck, a tiltable platform for supporting an object, means operative when the platform is in one position for drawing the object on the platform, means operative when the platform is in another position for rendering the drawing means inoperative, and resilient means for supporting the platform in one position when the object is thereon.

7. In an industrial truck, a trailer assembly, a horizontally disposed supporting member attached thereto, a platform pivotally supported centrally of the trailer assembly for supporting an object and adapted when in one position to tilt toward the horizontal member to facilitate movement of the object relative to the platform and means in-V terposed between the platform and the supporting member for resiliently supporting the platform thereon.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day of October, A. D. 1928.

WILLIAM SCI-IROEDER. 

